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Yogyakarta with Love 5 : The foothills of Mount Merapi

10:20:00 PM

Being the gracious host that she is, Ibu Kartika insisted we stay over at her house on our last night in Yogyakarta. So we checked out of our hotel a day earlier and went on a day trip with Ibu Kartika. We visited Museum Affandi and also Kraton before heading back to her abode, which is on the foothill of the Merapi volcano.

Now, when she told me she lived there, it sort of freaked me out. Living on the foothill of a volcano which just erupted last year? Then the driver even added that sometimes the area is flooded from water spouting from the volcano. Having seen the other day some of the remains of buildings and areas affected by the volcanic eruption (whole areas and blocks of buildings burnt down by the lava), that definitely had me worried. But when we got there, the whole place was nothing like I imagined. It was just...lusciously green all around. Tranquil and peaceful. It was very serene.

Omahe Kartika. House of Kartika

Dangling Zebras.

Upon reaching her front yard, I was already smiling to myself. One could immediately tell that she had passion for arts and creativity, even if you didn't know that she is one of Indonesia's most respected artistes. Just look at the somewhat random dangling zebras. It was a very, very unique touch.

Feeding the fishes, anytime she wants

Her house is the main house and is surrounded by a cluster of small chalet-like houses she offers to her personal guests. Inside her very warm and comfortable house, she styled her decor very artistically and stylishly. Not a thing looked out of place or over-decorated. The furniture, the decor, artworks, were simplistic but at the same time it was so tastefully done. The door-windows of her house opens up to lush greenery and a small pond full of fishes. You can see the merapi from there on clear fog-free mornings. She also has her own space where she paints and does her sculptures.

I think she knew how much I was marvelling at her simple but lovely home by looking at my permanent dropping jaws. Even though she allowed me to, I didn't take a lot of pictures of her interior partly because I thought it was rude to take pictures of the interior while she was explaining her personal collection and partly because I don't think I could do enough justice to her place anyway.

Me and Ibu Kartika. Oh and a very nice art piece from China behind us. She travels a lot so she picks up interesting and unique pieces and hidden gems all over the world.

Ibu Kartika showing me what she's working on

Took a snap in her toilet. I love her fish-tap and sink basin.

Ibu Kartika's beds in her room. She goes round to pick up understated antiques to fill up her house.

After chatting with her for a few hours, we were finally led to our rooms. Ibu Kartika graciously arranged for us to watch the Ramayana Ballet at the Prambanan Open Air Theatre so we had a little time to freshen ourselves up before going off there.

On the next day, we woke up early hoping to get a good view of Merapi. You know, people here wake up REAAAAAALLLLLYYYYY early. We were on holiday, so most times we did not wake up that early. But on this particular day, we did because we wanted to see Mount Merapi before we headed back to the airport. But it was not meant to be, the fog had not cleared up and Mount Merapi was not visible. So we headed straight to the airport and hubby had his last taste of Nasi Gudeg.

We only noticed the lovely tiles leading to our rooms in the morning. I <3 Butterflies

Saying goodbye to the lovely shack.

The pathway leading to the other chalets

Nasi Gudeg.

Thank you to Ibu Kartika for inviting us to stay over. She made us feel so welcome and, like most Yogyakartans, was very hospitable and went out of her way to make us feel comfortable. When I left, I felt like i was leaving behind a family member, someone I definitely must visit again soon. I must!

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